Patterns Of Motion

Keys for CALL-ATT

When punching a number into a phone key pad, the fingers go
through a "dance" corresponding to the position of the keys
being pressed.

These patterns of motion help reinfoce, recognize, and finally
remember phone numbers. The are yet another mnemonic for phone
numbers. In this context, a good pattern of motion is one that
makes for a good mnemonic: one that is easy to remember and then
helps you dial the right number.

For example, to order pizza in Vancouver, British Columbia, just
dial dial 2222222 (just keep stomping on the same key -- a very
very simple dance).
Another example is the AT&T Long Distance's collect call
number: 1-800-CALL-ATT. All the digits (after the 1) including
the "800" are down the middle of the keypad. Other features of
this number are the three pairs of identical numbers
(22-55-2-88) as well as its rhythm.

These features, especially when exploited by a clever marketing
campaign which repeatedly reinforces the patterns of motion, sound,
and rhythm, make the CALL-ATT mnemonic stick in the consumers' minds
for many years to come.

Muscle Memory

If you use phone keypads long and often enough, you eventually learn
to dial phone numbers without looking, very much like one can learn to
type on a computer keyboard without looking at the letters on the keys.

I once had to use an 8-digit pass word to access international direct
dialing at my company. I used [it] enough that i did it by pattern and
ultimately forgot the number and [then] the pattern. After two or three days,
I gave up and [asked for a new pass word.].
-- Marion Moon

If you dial the same phone number often enough, you eventually learn
to dial that number without thinking about the individual digits. The
pressing of individual keys blends together into a single fluid motion.
The simpler the pattern, the easier it is to "learn" the motions.